When in doubt, use a bomb: Assassin’s Creed Revelations first look

The third and final Assassin's Creed game to star Ezio plays a lot like the …

Ezio has seen better days. At the beginning of my demo of Assassin's Creed Revelations, the game that will complete the Italian assassin's story arc, Ezio is beaten and left for dead. He struggles to walk and sports a grizzled, graying beard. He's far removed from the carefree young man introduced in Assassin's Creed 2. But even in his haggard state, he's still able to get things done; it just might not be as smooth as he'd like.

It doesn't hurt that he's armed with plenty of bombs.

Unfortunately, the area of the game I was shown, which takes place near the beginning, was hands-off. Instead of controlling Ezio, I watched a representative from Ubisoft take the reins. But the demo still managed to show off some of the unique aspects of Revelations. Robbed of his ability to free-run or scamper up walls, Ezio instead had to rely more on stealth and inventiveness. He would, as always, sneak up and quietly kill bad guys, but was forced to hitch a ride on a giant water wheel to reach higher ground. It was somewhat frustrating to see a character robbed of his primary abilities, but thankfully a new weapon has been added to his arsenal. (Note: the lack of freerunning was specific to this early scene. There will be freerunning in the rest of the game.)

Though he has had access to all manner of weapons in the past, Ezio can now craft his very own bombs. Depending on which shell, gunpowder, and ingredients you choose, the bomb will have different characteristics, and there are crafting tables located throughout the game that let you build and customize your supply of explosives.

At one point during the demo Ezio silently took down a guard with his blades, planted a bomb on his body, and then hid in a pile of hay. When additional guards came to investigate, they were caught in the explosion. There are bombs that can take out large groups of enemies at once and bombs that can serve as distractions, letting you sneak past undetected. It seems like the bomb-crafting mechanic will let players somewhat customize the experience to their own play style, focusing on either stealth or combat depending on their preference.

As previously revealed, in addition to playing as Ezio, the game will also put you back in the assassin's robes of Altair, the protagonist from the first Assassin's Creed. Ezio will be able to experience key points in Altair's history. For example, during the demo, I witnessed the events that lead to Altair becoming a master assassin, which took place before the events of the first game.

With its now annual release schedule, the Assassin's Creed series is in real danger of becoming formulaic. Brotherhood managed to avoid that fate with a well crafted story in a new setting, one that also featured an inventive multiplayer mode. Set in Constantinople during the Ottoman empire, Revelations also switches up the setting, and looks to be throwing in some interesting new mechanics to help change things up.

Assassin's Creed Revelations will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on November 15.

42 Reader Comments

An Assassin's Creed game where you can't bounce around a city like a monkey on crack entirely misses the point. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, but if you are restricted to the ground for a majority of the game it will probably be a skip.

I hope there's enough Altair and Desmond to offset the fact Ezio can't climb. That seems like a pretty big regression for the series. I have my doubts, but I'm going to give the developers a little faith here.

Ummm, I'm guessing the lack of free running was just in the intro where Andrew talks about Ezio being battered and bloody. We already know Ezio goes flying around on wires with his hook-blade, so of course to get up to them he'll have to climb.

An Assassin's Creed game where you can't bounce around a city like a monkey on crack entirely misses the point. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, but if you are restricted to the ground for a majority of the game it will probably be a skip.

+1

If this is just during a small section, I can live with it. It'll help keep the player honest.

It sounds like the segment that was demoed was a story sequence where Ezio is wounded as part of a scripted event. He will only be unable to freerun for that short sequence and back to his usual tricks for the rest of the game.

Odd choice for a demo, though- they had to have known that this would be the reaction.

Regarding the comment about Brotherhood being unformulaic, you must be high. Assassins Creed (and the first sequel) are great stories with character development, Brotherhood DRAGGED big time, large portions of the story seemed rushed and ill-conceived, the horse mechanics were poor, the secondary dungeons for the end armor were a rehash of AC2's armor dungeons, and the ability to recruit assassins was BORING. I doubt I'll pick up revelations at the $60 debut price unless they get back to what made the series great: intriguing character development and a well written story.

A beaten and battered Ezio cannot climb buildings and jump across rooftops. Its just a sequence of the story line, setting up the rest of the game.

We have seen him do his climbing and jumping in other gameplay videos.

Unless you've been living under a rock, then you can't have missed the video footage from E3 and Gamescon.

The emphasis is on the bomb making/use. And its a demo.

People over-reacting as usual.

They chose a poor part for the demo. The intent was to show off the bombs, which I get, but it had an unintended side-effect of showing that Ezio can't climb, which is a staple feature of the series. I'm fine with one part of the game not having it for story purposes and have my faith restored.

They are the ones that decided which part of the game to demo. Any fool knows not to demo the boring parts.

Or they're showcasing what makes this iteration of AC different than the previous ones. Honestly, the trailers already released show plenty of freerunning, I'm not worried about that disappearing. I want to know what makes me want to plunk down my money for this game, what's different, what's new.

They are the ones that decided which part of the game to demo. Any fool knows not to demo the boring parts.

Or they're showcasing what makes this iteration of AC different than the previous ones. Honestly, the trailers already released show plenty of freerunning, I'm not worried about that disappearing. I want to know what makes me want to plunk down my money for this game, what's different, what's new.

Exactly. Anyone who has followed this game at all would know they are not taking anything out.

That actually sounds pretty cool. I love my free running, but if the story works with a battered and broken Ezio having to learn a new skillset to survive, I'm totally on board (as long as it doesn't suck).

Regarding the comment about Brotherhood being unformulaic, you must be high. Assassins Creed (and the first sequel) are great stories with character development, Brotherhood DRAGGED big time, large portions of the story seemed rushed and ill-conceived, the horse mechanics were poor, the secondary dungeons for the end armor were a rehash of AC2's armor dungeons, and the ability to recruit assassins was BORING. I doubt I'll pick up revelations at the $60 debut price unless they get back to what made the series great: intriguing character development and a well written story.

I enjoyed the story in Brotherhood, not as much as 2, but more than 1. The pacing definitely did have issues though, and it did drag from time to time. Despite it's errors (like horse riding as you said), I think it introduced enough new mechanics and missions to keep things interesting. And while the training of Assassins wasn't the most exciting thing, the use of them was an absolute blast. I can't even remember how many times I'd be on a side mission and it was to kill X amount of guys in 60 secs or some such, I'd hold down the arrow attack button, and boom, all drop dead in 1sec. Or a mission to kill a guy without him becoming aware of you, that's easy, don't kill him, send one of your Assassins in to do it. Very satisfying. Hopefully Revelations can incorporate the best from previous games and still introduce new elements.

As previously revealed, in addition to playing as Ezio, the game will also put you back in the assassin's robes of Altair, the protagonist from the first Assassin's Creed. Ezio will be able to experience key points in Altair's history. For example, during the demo, I witnessed the events that lead to Altair becoming a master assassin, which took place before the events of the first game.

Aw, crap. I was thinking of sitting this one out. Just when I think I'm done, they pull me back in again.

I enjoyed the story in Brotherhood, not as much as 2, but more than 1. The pacing definitely did have issues though, and it did drag from time to time. Despite it's errors (like horse riding as you said), I think it introduced enough new mechanics and missions to keep things interesting. And while the training of Assassins wasn't the most exciting thing, the use of them was an absolute blast. I can't even remember how many times I'd be on a side mission and it was to kill X amount of guys in 60 secs or some such, I'd hold down the arrow attack button, and boom, all drop dead in 1sec. Or a mission to kill a guy without him becoming aware of you, that's easy, don't kill him, send one of your Assassins in to do it. Very satisfying. Hopefully Revelations can incorporate the best from previous games and still introduce new elements.

My problem with the assassin training (and the crossbow for that matter) was it made the game infinitely less difficult. I have worried that cranking out a game a year keeps the series a little stale, I would gladly wait longer for a better experience. Don't get me wrong I love the franchise and look forward to seeing it play out, I just hope they can capture some of the magic they had with AC2 that they definitely missed with Brotherhood.

I enjoyed the story in Brotherhood, not as much as 2, but more than 1. The pacing definitely did have issues though, and it did drag from time to time. Despite it's errors (like horse riding as you said), I think it introduced enough new mechanics and missions to keep things interesting. And while the training of Assassins wasn't the most exciting thing, the use of them was an absolute blast. I can't even remember how many times I'd be on a side mission and it was to kill X amount of guys in 60 secs or some such, I'd hold down the arrow attack button, and boom, all drop dead in 1sec. Or a mission to kill a guy without him becoming aware of you, that's easy, don't kill him, send one of your Assassins in to do it. Very satisfying. Hopefully Revelations can incorporate the best from previous games and still introduce new elements.

My problem with the assassin training (and the crossbow for that matter) was it made the game infinitely less difficult. I have worried that cranking out a game a year keeps the series a little stale, I would gladly wait longer for a better experience. Don't get me wrong I love the franchise and look forward to seeing it play out, I just hope they can capture some of the magic they had with AC2 that they definitely missed with Brotherhood.

That's true to a degree, but was the game/combat really all that difficult to begin with? I mean, it was easy in AC1, it was made even easier in AC2, and with the addition of the kill streaks/Batman style combat in AC:B, it became even easier still. I've never felt the combat need to be more difficult, you're a master assassin, you're supposed to be able to kill with ease, and look awesome while doing it. The game pulls that off. The calling in of Assassins is just another fun little option.

My problem with the assassin training (and the crossbow for that matter) was it made the game infinitely less difficult. I have worried that cranking out a game a year keeps the series a little stale, I would gladly wait longer for a better experience. Don't get me wrong I love the franchise and look forward to seeing it play out, I just hope they can capture some of the magic they had with AC2 that they definitely missed with Brotherhood.

That's true to a degree, but was the game/combat really all that difficult to begin with? I mean, it was easy in AC1, it was made even easier in AC2, and with the addition of the kill streaks/Batman style combat in AC:B, it became even easier still. I've never felt the combat need to be more difficult, you're a master assassin, you're supposed to be able to kill with ease, and look awesome while doing it. The game pulls that off. The calling in of Assassins is just another fun little option.

The combat fit with the story and the feel of the game. Calling in your assassins NEVER got old. I think I killed every gaurd in Rome, so I don't mind being able to destroy all the rookie replacements.

As for the yearly release. I only played AC2 the once when it came out and same with Brotherhood. I like the games more and more as new ones are released. What was the problem with Brotherhood?

One aspect of Brotherhood that failed was the full sync objective in missions. Restarting the entire mission on some if you fail, or go back to a checkpoint on others? Consistency fail. Also, fuck the tank mission's full sync.

As a fanboy, I don't care. I play mostly for the story, which captivated me from the moment I started playing AC1.

herozero wrote:

My problem with the assassin training (and the crossbow for that matter) was it made the game infinitely less difficult. I have worried that cranking out a game a year keeps the series a little stale, I would gladly wait longer for a better experience. Don't get me wrong I love the franchise and look forward to seeing it play out, I just hope they can capture some of the magic they had with AC2 that they definitely missed with Brotherhood.

IMHO, Assassin's Creed has always been fairly easy. In the first game, once you figured out how to properly use counter-kills, guard fights became really easy; even the last boss fight.

Entegy wrote:

One aspect of Brotherhood that failed was the full sync objective in missions. Restarting the entire mission on some if you fail, or go back to a checkpoint on others? Consistency fail. Also, fuck the tank mission's full sync.

You think that was hard? The very last story mission's (the one where you get the Apple of Eden) full sync requirement was that you not lose ANY health. Which basically means you have to run from all the guards without using the ridiculously powerful Apple of Eden. Annoying as hell.

You think that was hard? The very last story mission's (the one where you get the Apple of Eden) full sync requirement was that you not lose ANY health. Which basically means you have to run from all the guards without using the ridiculously powerful Apple of Eden. Annoying as hell.

Actually I found it pretty simple. It was just run, hide, run again. and there were lots of places to hide.

Actually, if they can keep up the same quality or above as Brotherhood, then again I'm not against yearly updates. My main problem with them is it usually means quality gets screwed. Brotherhood and the series as a whole were pretty good especially for the bargain prices they can be gotten off of steam sales. I actually pre-ordered Revelations, which is the first game that I've gotten at launch for this series. Then again I got it for ~$15 with some credit off from GMG, which is about what I payed for most of the rest of the series.

Full sync was kinda an annoying addition, but its not really required for much, so outside of a few restarts, I just ignored it. Best part about the series is definitely seeing/exploring a recreation of old cities though. I'm just afraid that you can't really get a better setting for the series than Renaissance Italy for future games.

I have worried that cranking out a game a year keeps the series a little stale, I would gladly wait longer for a better experience. Don't get me wrong I love the franchise and look forward to seeing it play out, I just hope they can capture some of the magic they had with AC2 that they definitely missed with Brotherhood.

I agree - when it becomes a matter of meeting deadlines, quality always takes a back seat to the "good enough to ship" mentality. Still, I liked the first two games a lot, but some things bothered me after Assassin's Creed 2, namely the extra downloadable content required for 100% sync.

However, one thing that bothers me more is the fact that the series seems to be losing its original direction. From what I recall when Assassin's Creed was released, the idea was to experience various time periods and settings not often used in games. After Altaïr in Crusader-era Jerusalem/Damascus/etc. and Ezio in fifteenth-century Venice/Florence/etc. I was expecting a new protagonist in a new era and setting, but (barring the handheld/mobile versions) they decided to go back to Ezio twice, and now it seems they're bringing back Altaïr as well. Why not a new character? Constantinople sounds like a fantastic new setting, why not play as a different ancestor this time?

With its now annual release schedule, the Assassin's Creed series is in real danger of becoming formulaic.

No kidding, I really enjoyed the first Assassin's Creed. I think I'm just about ready for another one and there are 2 new ones already out and a 3rd on the way! I can't keep up with this and now I'm left deciding which one to play next. I like to play all the games in a series that has an interlocking story line, but I just don't think Assassin's Creed can be one of those given they have flooded the market with these games. Still, if they're selling like hotcakes then I guess I'm just not their target audience so more power to them.

Thankfully the comments section is *relatively* free from people crying about Ubisoft DRM. Honestly, Ubisoft isn't doing anything different with that than the myriad Steam/Battle.net titles coming up. While my new GTX580-powered rig hopes that it gets a proper PC port that fully utilizes DX11, I really won't care as long as the game is as good as the last 3.

Well, here's to hoping they finally get to focusing on Desmond game play in Assassins Creed: 2012, as per the original vision of the series. Which was supposed to be PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE not past, past, past, past, present, present, present, present (I'm not going to kid myself here) and so on. I'm not going to lie, I love these games. Even when people complained the first was boring, I was quick to defend it because I felt like the game was made for me in every way. I loved every aspect of it. I am however getting really quite tired of these yearly release schedule cash ins. They honestly might as well cut out the subtitles and start adding the year the way Madden and any other sports game does.